Public Services

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2012, Official Report, column 1074W, on public services, what transparency commitments the Department for Work and Pensions is being required to follow; and on what date they were set.

Francis Maude: Transparency commitments related to government spend were set out in the Prime Minister's letters of 31 May 2010 and 7 July 2011.

Research

Christopher Chope: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make it his policy that his Department will not commission or fund research into the opinions of hon. Members on issues of public policy; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: holding answer 11 June 2012
	Commissioning of research and the proposed field for the research will be considered on a case by case basis.

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on which dates his Department has published Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010.

Michael Moore: The Scotland Office has published the dates of publication of its Government procurement card spending over £500 since May 2010 on the Office's website alongside the data itself:
	http://www.scotlandoffice.gov.uk/scotlandoffice/16203.html

Green Belt

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he expects new areas of land to be designated as green belt following the publication of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Greg Clark: It is for local authorities to decide if they want to designate new areas of Green Belt, and if so to take proposals through the Local Plan process which includes public consultation and an independent examination. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out policy on Green Belt in Section 9 of the document.

Green Belt

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on (a) new settlements and (b) urban extensions in green belts.

Greg Clark: As with previous policy on the Green Belt, the National Planning Policy Framework maintains that inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances.
	The Framework sets out that when considering any planning application, local planning authorities should ensure that substantial weight is given to any harm to the Green Belt. 'Very special circumstances' will not exist unless the potential harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations. Local planning authorities should regard the construction of new buildings as inappropriate in Green Belt. Exceptions to this can be found listed in paragraph 89 of the Framework.

Planning Permission

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how he proposes that neighbourhood forums and neighbourhood plans developed in areas not represented by parish or town councils will be funded.

Bob Neill: The Government has committed to providing up to £50 million until March 2015 to support local councils in making neighbourhood planning a success. As part of this in 2011-12 the neighbourhood planning front runners programme made available £4.66 million to local planning authorities to support the development of neighbourhood plans. We are considering funding options for 2012-13, 2014-15 and 2015-16 and will make an announcement in due course.
	The Department has made available £4.25 million to date to four organisations (the Prince's Foundation for Building Community; the Royal Town Planning Institute; Locality (the Building Communities Consortium) and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (working with National Association of Local Councils) as part of the Supporting Communities in Neighbourhood Planning scheme to enable communities that wish to engage in planning at either the neighbourhood or local level, to access free advice and support. Local businesses, landowners and developers may also be interested in sponsoring and taking a role in neighbourhood planning.
	Further information about neighbourhood planning is available at
	http://communityrights.communities.gov.uk/what-are-community-rights/neighbourhood-planning

Coryton Refinery

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the implications of recent developments in the processing of crude oil at the Coryton refinery for (a) the competitiveness of the UK and (b) the effectiveness of the supply chain in the oil, gas and petroleum industries; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on this matter.

Charles Hendry: It is disappointing that a buyer has not yet been found for the Coryton refinery. This reflects a general overcapacity in the European refining sector. An assessment of the economic impact on the area has been commissioned by a task force set up by Thurrock council. On the supply chain, the south east is served by other supply points that enable suppliers to develop and implement existing contingency plans to maintain their supply operations.
	The Department has kept in regular contact with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills about developments at the refinery.

Coryton Refinery

Stephen Metcalfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what approaches PricewaterhouseCoopers have made to the Government for financial assistance in securing the future of the Coryton Oil Refinery; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: The administrators of Coryton Oil Refinery made a formal representation to the Department on 15 May 2012 in respect of the provision of Government assistance for one option relating to Coryton Oil Refinery. We understand that this was one of a range of options the administrators were considering at the time. These representations are necessarily commercially confidential.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 204W, on renewable energy feed-in tariffs, if he will make it his policy to seek parliamentary approval for any agreement between his Department and relevant developers on comfort to support early investment decisions.

Gregory Barker: The Draft Energy Bill 2012 contains a number of provisions which would enable the Government to issue what are called “investment instruments” in advance of the regime for Contracts for Difference (CfDs) being established. These provisions have been put in place to allow the Department to offer comfort to developers of low carbon electricity generating projects that need to take final investment decisions ahead of the introduction of the electricity market reforms contained in the draft Bill.
	The draft Bill specifies that the issue of an investment instrument is subject to conditions, including that a draft of the instrument has been laid before Parliament. The final issue of the investment instrument is of course subject to the enactment of the draft Bill.
	The draft Bill also contains provisions enabling the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), to make modifications to electricity supply licences or to make regulations by statutory instrument in connection with investment instruments. Both of these provisions would be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with private energy sector investors about the appropriate body to act as the counterparty for the feed-in tariffs with contracts for difference as set out in the draft Energy Bill.

Charles Hendry: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, the right hon. Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), regularly meets with energy sector stakeholders. As part of discussions on Electricity Market Reform, the counterparty arrangements under Contracts for Difference has been raised.
	As the Government made clear when publishing the draft Energy Bill on 22 May 2012, we recognise that investors need robust counterparty arrangements to invest under Contracts for Difference. Officials at DECC have had detailed discussions with a wide variety of industry stakeholders on both the current proposals and also an alternative model with a single counterparty. A final decision on which model to adopt will be published in the autumn.
	Details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations are published quarterly on the departmental website at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/accesstoinform/registers/ministermtgs/ministermtgs.aspx

Abid Hussain

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have met Abid Hussain.

Damian Green: Home Office Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of international partners, as well as organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of ail such meetings.

Abid Hussain

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) she, (b) Ministers in her Department and (c) officials in her Department have given advice on the vetting of Abid Hussain to Ministers of the Cabinet Office in relation to her participation in official Government business.

Damian Green: Neither the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), Home Office Ministers or officials have given advice on the vetting of Abid Hussain to Ministers of the Cabinet Office in relation to his participation in official Government business.

Crime Prevention

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce crime amongst people who are homeless.

James Brokenshire: Police forces need to tackle crime in line with local priorities and there is no simple link between homelessness and crime. From November 2012 the election of police and crime commissioners will help drive down crime by making policing more accountable and responsive to local needs and concerns. Police.uk now provides the public with street-level information about crime to enable them to hold local policing teams to account. The Government has swept away central targets and is cutting bureaucracy to help free police officers to cut crime. At a national level, the creation of the National Crime Agency will make the UK a hostile environment for serious and organised criminality.
	The Government has maintained funding for the Homelessness Grant at 2010-11 levels with £400 million over the next four years, and has announced an additional £70 million investment this year which will: protect vital front line services; enable local authorities to intervene earlier and help people stay in their homes; ensure single homeless people get access to good housing advice; and deliver improved hostel provision.

Crime Prevention

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce crime amongst people who are unemployed.

James Brokenshire: Police forces need to tackle crime in line with local priorities and there is no simple link between unemployment and crime. From November 2012 the election of police and crime commissioners will help drive down crime by making policing more accountable and responsive to local needs and concerns. Police.uk now provides the public with street-level information about crime to enable them to hold local policing teams to account. The Government has swept away central targets and is cutting bureaucracy to help free police officers to cut crime. At a national level, the creation of the National Crime Agency will make the UK a hostile environment for serious and organised criminality.
	The Government is taking a number of steps to tackle unemployment. The Youth Contract was introduced in April 2012 to provide additional support, worth almost £1 billion, to young unemployed people over the next three years, and from March 2012, the Government provided additional employment support for prison leavers through the Work programme, immediately on release from prison.

Crime Prevention

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce crime amongst people who have a (a) numeracy level and (b) reading age below that expected of an 11 year old.

James Brokenshire: Police forces need to tackle crime in line with local priorities and from November 2012 the election of police and crime commissioners will help drive down crime by making policing more accountable and responsive to local needs and concerns. Police.uk now provides the public with street-level information about crime to enable them to hold local policing teams to account. The Government has swept away central targets and is cutting bureaucracy to help free police officers to cut crime. At a national level, the creation of the National Crime Agency will make the UK a hostile environment for serious and organised criminality.
	As part of our support to local partners to tackle crime, we are working across Government to improve life chances, education and employment outcomes. On numeracy and literacy levels, the Government is aiming to ensure that:
	no child should leave school without the literacy and numeracy skills to succeed;
	young people held in the secure estate have access to a full day of education and constructive activity. Their literacy and numeracy levels are assessed on entry and they receive an individual learning plan to address their learning needs whilst in custody; and
	those who have already offended are given the skills they will need, including the basic skills of maths and English, to find and keep jobs on release or while serving a community sentence.
	In addition, the Government is continuing to fund basic English and maths courses for adults who lack these skills, enabling them to gain the qualifications that they need for employment and progression.

Crime Prevention

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce crime amongst people who have a psychiatric disorder.

James Brokenshire: Police forces need to tackle crime in line with local priorities and from November 2012 the election of police and crime commissioners will help drive down crime by making policing more accountable and responsive to local needs and concerns. Police.uk now provides the public with street-level information about crime to enable them to hold local policing teams to account. The Government has swept away central targets and is cutting bureaucracy to help free police officers to cut crime. At a national level, the creation of the National Crime Agency will make the UK a hostile environment for serious and organised criminality.
	It is unlikely that most offenders with mental disorders offend primarily as a direct result of their disorder. It may however be a contributory factor and may also undermine an individual's ability to engage with interventions which support rehabilitation and reduce reoffending. We are committed to tackling the underlying mental health and substance misuse issues that some offenders have. Our priority is to ensure that those with mental health problems within the criminal justice system are identified as early as possible, so that the right interventions can be provided in the most appropriate setting. We are currently working with the Department of Health and Ministry of Justice to develop liaison and diversion services in police custody suites and at courts for offenders with mental health issues and other vulnerabilities, and to test options for intensive, treatment based alternatives to custody.

Crime Prevention

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she plans to take to reduce the number of crimes committed by people who have used drugs in the previous year.

James Brokenshire: Police forces need to tackle crime in line with local priorities and from November 2012 the election of police and crime commissioners will help drive down crime by making policing more accountable and responsive to local needs and concerns. Police.uk now provides the public with street-level information about crime to enable them to hold local policing teams to account. The Government has swept away central targets and is cutting bureaucracy to help free police officers to cut crime. At a national level, the creation of the National Crime Agency will make the UK a hostile environment for serious and organised criminality.
	In relation specifically to drug misusing offenders, the Drug Interventions Programme (DIP) is a centrally funded crime reduction programme which has been running since 2003. The programme provides interventions for drug misusing offenders across England and Wales at relevant points during their contact with the criminal justice system, including police custody, court, prison, and probation.
	Home Office funding for the DIP currently pays for police staff to carry out drug testing to identify drug misusing offenders among those arrested or charged, and ensure they seek support. In addition, the Home Office and Department of Health jointly provide funding to local areas for the employment of drug workers to assess and refer people into the appropriate treatment and recovery services. The programme managed nearly 63,000 individuals into treatment and recovery services in England and Wales in 2010-11, and research has shown significant reductions in offending by individuals in contact with the programme.

Crime: British Overseas Territories

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (a) she and (b) her officials have had discussions with UK police forces on assessing and responding to drug crime and violent crime in the overseas territories; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 2 June 2012
	Much of the Home Office assistance to the Overseas Territories (OTs) is based on requests from them. The Home Office has not been involved in discussions with UK police forces specifically on assessing or responding to drug and violent crime in Overseas Territories (OTs) and does not commission such assistance. The Home Office has, however, authorised overseas deployments by serving police officers (under s.26 of the Police Act 1996) in response to various ad hoc requests by OTs for assistance. Annex A of The Overseas Territories and the Home Office paper:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk
	provides a list of examples of such support provided during 2010 and 2011. The Government will shortly publish a White Paper entitled The Overseas Territories—Security, Success and Sustainability and this covers UK assistance of and partnership with the OTs, including in relation to crime.

Immigration

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment her Department has made of the abuse by citizens of non-EU member states of the right of entry into the UK for citizens from accession states.

Damian Green: In 2011 border force officers detected 433 non-EU citizens who attempted to gain entry to the UK by falsely presenting themselves as a national of an Accession state with a right of entry. In these cases the non-EU citizen presented a forged document or impersonated the holder of a genuine document issued by an Accession state.
	There is also evidence to suggest that the free movement rights of Accession state nationals are being abused through marriages of conveniences. In 2011 the UK Border Agency received 579 reports from registrars of suspected marriages of convenience involving Accession nationals marrying third country nationals.
	The Government are committed to protecting free movement rights from fraud and abuse and is taking action domestically and at the EU-level to tackle the problem.

Immigration Controls

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training staff operating passport and security desks at sea and airports undertake on customer-friendly attitudes; whether performance in this area is monitored; and whether refresher training sessions are undertaken.

Damian Green: Border Force constantly strives to provide a high standard of customer service at the border. Officers within Border Force are provided with a range of customer service training including
	Exceeding Customer Expectations—Aimed at all officers; covers ways to improve the quality of the customer service provided;
	Proud to Serve and Protect—Professional Service—Aimed at all officers; raises awareness of how the behaviour of an officer working at the border can impact on the customer experience;
	Proud to Serve and Protect—BF Service Style—Aimed at all officers; covers the standard for face to face interaction with our public;
	Sustaining Excellent Customer Service—Aimed at managers; provides tools to reinforce and recognise good customer service plus address problem situations;
	First Impressions Count—Aimed at all officers; places emphasis on the important role officers' will play in the overall Olympic and Paralympic experience, with particular focus on the Paralympics.
	Monitoring of performance, including observing the manner in which individual officers deal with the public, is the responsibility of team leaders.
	Refresher training on customer service is being provided by the provision to all officers of the First Impressions Count package.

Immigration: Merseyside

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications from people of non-European Economic Area nationality applying for leave to enter the UK on the basis of their family relationship with a British citizen or a person settled in the UK were sponsored by someone living in St Helens South and Whiston constituency in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The following table provides the number of entry clearance applications from non-EU nationals applying for leave to enter on the basis of their family relationship with a British citizen or a person settled in the UK, and where the sponsor of these applications is someone living in the St Helens South and Whiston constituency in the last five years.
	
		
			  Applications 
			 2007 206 
			 2008 209 
			 2009 165 
			 2010 155 
			 2011 151 
			 Total 886 
		
	
	The above data is based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change. The data relates to applications where the sponsor postcode begins with WA10 or L35.

Olympic Games 2012

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether foreign law enforcement agents and other foreign nationals with firearms will be allowed to enter the UK during the London 2012 Olympics; and what steps she plans to take to ensure such firearms are tracked.

Damian Green: Foreign law enforcement agents (known as in flight security officers or federal air marshals or sky marshals) are not permitted to hold firearms in the United Kingdom. Border force will continue to secure and retain control of firearms being brought to the UK by foreign law enforcement agents.
	The Government remains committed to delivering a safe and secure Olympic games in 2012, and lead responsibility for this rests with the police who have substantial experience of dealing with public order and security at major events. The rules governing the presence of foreign security and protection teams at the games are the same as at any time.
	Foreign national games family members (GFM) competing in the Olympic and Paralympic shooting events will be given the appropriate authority to hold firearms. All firearms will be held in the Royal Artillery Barracks in the UK. The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic games (LOCOG) will be operating a collection and return service between the ports and the Royal Artillery Barracks for firearms. Border force officers, along with the Metropolitan Police Service, SO19—specialist firearms command responsible for issuing British visitors firearms permits, will be deployed to the Royal Artillery Barracks to ensure that regulatory requirements and re-export of firearms are completed.

Organised Crime: British Overseas Territories

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the presence of organised crime in each of the overseas territories; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 June 2012
	The Overseas Territories and the Home Office paper:
	www.homeoffice.gov.uk
	provides an overview of some of the assistance provided by the Home Office to the Overseas Territories (OTs). A number of Government agencies, including the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA), are well positioned to liaise with and support each OT to protect itself from the threat of organised crime. In delivering Local to Global, the Government's organised crime strategy, SOCA liaises regularly with the Caribbean OTs and supports them with training, equipment and staffing resources to combat a broad spectrum of serious and organised crime impacting upon the region and potentially the UK.
	The Government will also shortly publish a White Paper entitled The Overseas Territories—Security, Success and Sustainability which covers UK assistance of, and partnership with, the OTs, including in relation to crime.

Police: Overtime

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each police force spent on overtime for (a) police officers, (b) police community support officers and (c) police staff in each of the last 10 financial years.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 June 2012
	This data is available on the website of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountants at:
	www.cipfastats.net

Police: Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effects of the freeze of incremental pay of police officers with over three years of service.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 21 June 2012
	A two-year freeze of incremental progression was among the recommendations made by the Police Arbitration Tribunal (PAT) in January. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), considered the tribunal's findings very carefully, in line with her statutory responsibilities. She announced on 30 January that she had decided to accept the PAT's recommendation. I refer the hon. Member to her statement of 30 January 2012, Official Report, column 31WS.

Adoption: Ethnic Groups

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 364W, on adoption: ethnic groups, for what reason his Department does not collect information on the ethnicity of adopters.

Tim Loughton: All children who ceased to be looked after at some point during the year, on the granting of an adoption order, will have been placed with their adoptive parents before the making of the adoption order. The Department collects information from local authorities on the number of adopters, their gender and relationship status. The collection of data on adopters was intended to monitor the implementation of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 and was limited to avoid a large data burden upon local authorities and the data collection process. However, Ofsted are now collecting information on the ethnicity of adopters under their annual adoption collection, and therefore in future this information will be available to the Department.

Young People: Carers

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what support his Department has made available to young carers since 2010.

Tim Loughton: Supporting carers, including young carers is a priority for this Government. We want young carers to be healthy, achieve and have the same opportunities as other children.
	That is why within six months of the general election we published the revised HMG Carers Strategy ‘Recognised, valued and supported: Next Steps for the Carers Strategy’. The Department made three commitments in that strategy all of which have now been implemented: to make a new Early Intervention Grant available to local Government; to work with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to develop the first all-age careers service; and to launch a new national campaign to help turn around the lives of families with multiple problems—now being lead by the troubled families team in the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	In addition to this work the Department for Education is also grant funding the Children's Society and Carers Trust £1.5 million over two years to work with local authorities and voluntary and community organisations to: encourage children's and adult services to work more closely together and adopt ‘whole family’ approaches to supporting young carers; and identify and share existing evidence based good practice, tools and resources for the identification and support of young carers.
	To support this work further the Department for Education (DFE) has also worked with the Department of Health and the National Young Carers Coalition to create a ‘Healthy Schools’ e-learning module for teachers and school staff to enable them to better identify and support young carers. It is available on the Children's Society website:
	http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/Young-Carers-Web-Pub-v13/player.html
	To support the spread of effective practise, we have also published ‘Turning around the lives of families with multiple problems—an evaluation of the Family and Young Carer Pathfinders Programme’. This evaluation report is based on findings from 18 local authorities that have been developing innovative local practice by getting children's and adult services to work effectively together alongside the voluntary sector and schools to support young carers. The report is available at:
	https://www.education.gov.uk/publications/RSG/publicationDetail/Page1/DFE-RR154
	Last year following Carers Week I wrote to every MP and every director of children's services in England to urge them to continue to champion the cause of young carers in their area and ensure they have access to the support services they require.

Young People: North East

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what comparative assessment he has made of the proportion of young people in the North East and other regions who are not in education, employment and training.

Tim Loughton: Official estimates of the number and proportion of 16-18 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEET) in England are published by the Department in a statistical first release (SFR) each June and can be found on the Department's website:
	http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s001011/index.shtml
	However, these estimates cannot be broken down to regional level.
	We can estimate the number and proportion of 16-18 year olds NEET at a regional level using data collected by local authorities. The proportion of 16-18 year olds who were NEET in each region in England at the end of 2011 (November 2011-January 2012 average) is shown in the following table. Note that due to methodological differences, estimates for young people NEET based on local authority data tend to be lower than the official estimates for NEET in the SFR.
	
		
			 Proportion of 16-18 year olds NEET by region 
			  Percentage 
			 North East 8.8 
			 North West 7.1 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 7.1 
			 East Midlands 5.4 
			 West Midlands 6.2 
			 South West 5.7 
			 East of England 6.0 
			 London 4.5 
			 South East 5.8 
			 England 6.1 
			 Source: Local authority data (CCIS)

Afghanistan

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish documents held by his Department relating to the investigation into a British drone strike that led to Afghan civilian fatalities on 25 March 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: Any incident involving civilian casualties is a matter of deep regret and we take every possible measure to avoid such incidents. We have strict procedures, frequently updated in the light of experience, intended both to minimise the risk of casualties occurring and to investigate any alleged incidents. The incident of 25 March 2011 is the only one in which civilian fatalities are known to have resulted from a UK Reaper strike. A UK Reaper, operating in support of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) forces, was tasked to engage and destroy two pick-up trucks. The strike resulted in the deaths of two insurgents and the destruction of a significant quantity of explosives being carried on the trucks. Sadly, four Afghan civilians were also killed and a further two Afghan civilians were injured. A joint ISAF-Afghan investigation was conducted to establish if any lessons could be learned or if errors in operational procedures could be identified. The report concluded that the actions of the Reaper crew had been in accordance with ISAF procedures and rules of engagement. I am withholding the report as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Aircraft Carriers

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effect of the decision not to fit catapult and arrestor technology to Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers on the prospects for Joint Maritime Task Groups.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 25 June 2012
	I refer the right hon. Member to the statement made by the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on 10 May 2012, Official Report, columns 140-42. Announcing the decision to switch the planned order for Joint Strike Fighter aircraft from Carrier Varriant to Short-take-off and Vertical Landing, he made clear that a focus on joint maritime task groups ensuring carrier availability, rather than cross-deck operations is the appropriate route to optimising alliance capabilities.

Armed Forces: Discrimination

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions Ministers in his Department have had with (a) mobile telephone suppliers and (b) mortgage lenders on tackling discrimination against service people; and what the outcome was of any such discussions.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 21 June 2012
	The Government has worked closely with credit reference agencies and other partners, including the Royal Mail, to help us to improve financial capability among service personnel and to address the difficulties faced by those with a history of rapidly changing or British Forces Post Office (BFPO) addresses. Through the Home Finance Forum, work has been undertaken to introduce a new system for handling credit rating assessments for those with a BFPO address.
	We have agreement with The UK Cards Association, the British Bankers' Association, the Finance and Leasing Association the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Building Societies Association for them to take account of the circumstances of service personnel in order to avoid disadvantage.
	Service personnel facing credit rating difficulties because of periods of time spent abroad should approach prospective mortgage lenders and/or prospective landlords or letting agents to instruct their credit reference checking agencies to undertake a manual check of the individual's circumstances, rather than an automated one.
	A technical solution has been developed by the BFPO, in conjunction with Royal Mail, which will allow the allocation of a 'shadow postcode' against a BFPO address. As well as helping to overcome credit rating difficulties for those with periods of living abroad, this will better enable individuals to access online retail and other financial services and will allow the completion of Government online forms. The new BFPO shadow postcodes were released in April 2012.

Armed Forces: Pensions

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government is planning to make any retrospective changes to public service pensions for serving armed forces personnel; and whether the consent of such personnel is required before they enter into new pension arrangements.

Andrew Robathan: It has been the policy of successive Governments not to make retrospective changes to public sector pensions. The new Armed Forces Pension Scheme, currently under consultation, is no exception to this. There are no plans to make any retrospective changes to service pensions for serving armed forces personnel.
	The consent of service personnel is not required before they enter into new pension arrangements because the Government will introduce a Public Services Pensions Bill, as soon as parliamentary time allows, which will replace existing schemes with new public service schemes to be in place from 2015.

Armed Forces: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder amongst serving and former soldiers;
	(2)  how many soldiers who are on operational duties he estimates suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder; and what steps he has put in place to offer such soldiers assistance.

Andrew Robathan: h olding answer  25 June 2012
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 June 2012, Official Report, column 447W, to the hon. Member for Luton North (Kelvin Hopkins).
	The Ministry of Defence takes the issue of mental health very seriously, and we recognise that operational deployments will inevitably expose personnel to stressful experiences. The psychological welfare of troops (which covers general wellbeing as well as mental health) is a fundamental chain of command responsibility, and personnel benefit greatly, in terms of mental health, by being within well led units with good support from their colleagues.
	Measures are in place to increase awareness at all levels and to mitigate the development of operational stresses. Primary preventative measures include selection for fitness at recruitment, provision of good leadership, and robust training for all personnel. Secondary preventative measures include psycho-education, use of Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), and post-operational stress management, all of which aim at early detection of problems. Unit-based non-healthcare professionals such as chaplains, TRiM practitioners and welfare staff also have a vital role in supporting the chain of command in maintaining a good state of mental health among unit personnel and in signposting those in need of treatment to the Defence Medical Services. The families of returning personnel are also offered advice on the possible after-effects of an operational deployment.
	Another key aim is to reduce the stigma that is sometimes attached to mental illness, which is an issue in the civilian world as well as the armed forces. This is being actively addressed through such programmes as the Army's 'Don't Bottle It Up' campaign, and in the deployment briefings provided to personnel and their families. By encouraging people to come forward as soon as they begin to feel ill, we can provide treatment at an early stage and hopefully prevent the illness developing further or recurring at a later date, including after they have left the armed forces.
	Personnel leaving the armed forces are given advice on seeking help at an early stage if they have concerns about their mental health. The MOD and Department of Health are working together to improve the mental health care provided to ex-service personnel and veterans' mental health is an area which has received significant attention from this Government in the past two years. Following the publication of Dr Andrew Murrison's report 'Fighting Fit', the Government pledged £1.8 million per annum for the remainder of the spending review period to implement its recommendations. Much work has already been completed, such as the launch of a 24-hour veterans telephone helpline, a trial of the online wellbeing service 'Big White Wall' and an e-learning package for NHS general practitioners to familiarise themselves with veteran-specific health problems.
	There has been an uplift in the number of mental health professionals conducting veterans outreach work, from 15 to 30. In addition, the number of professionals working for Combat Stress in partnership with the NHS takes this total to nearer 50. Plans are in place to establish a national veterans' mental health clinical network.
	Furthermore, each of the 10 armed forces networks (based geographically in the old strategic health authority areas) has received £150,000 from the Department of Health with which to build up enhanced community veterans' mental health services in their areas. These services are now up and running in almost every region with the remainder planned to come on line by the end of this calendar year. These services were developed in conjunction with local groups, for the local population.

Defence: Cryptography

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many additional staff members have been recruited to work on the Cipher programme in the last 12 months; and at what cost.

Peter Luff: In the last 12 months, four additional Ministry of Defence personnel have been internally recruited to work on the CIPHER programme at a total cost of approximately £141,000 per annum.

Abid Hussain

Michael Dugher: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether (a) he, (b) his special advisers and (c) his civil servants were aware that Abid Hussain would be accompanying the Minister without Portfolio on any official overseas visits;
	(2)  whether he cleared Abid Hussain to accompany the Minister without Portfolio on any of her official visits to Pakistan.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 25 June 2012, Official Report, column 115W.

Visits Abroad

Michael Dugher: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he directed the Minister without Portfolio to attend any of the official overseas trips she has participated in since May 2010;
	(2)  whether the Minister without Portfolio has been allocated any specific foreign policy role in regard to the Government's relations with Pakistan.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 25 June 2012, Official Report, column 124W.

Visits Abroad

Michael Dugher: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether his officials have approved the official overseas travel undertaken by the Minister without Portfolio since May 2010;
	(2)  what his policy is on foreign governments paying for UK Ministers to go on official overseas trips.

David Cameron: The Ministerial Code sets out the requirements for overseas travel.

Consultants

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was remitted by his Department to (a) PricewaterHouseCoopers, (b) KPMG, (c) Deloitte, (d) Ernst and Young and (e) the Adam Smith Institute in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available.

Alan Duncan: DFID's central finance records show the following expenditure (in GBP pounds sterling) against the UK and overseas entities of the requested suppliers:
	
		
			 Supplier 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 
			 PricewaterhouseCoopers 6,492,601.38 12,356,644.52 24,287,934.54 
			 KPMG 29,204,351.09 37,573,146.58 39,439,394.62 
			 Deloitte 1,109,572.08 934,226.03 1,122,022 
			 Ernst and Young 130,760.40 248,235 2,922,172.92 
			 Adam Smith 31,181,433.40 37,083,997.43 44,914,334.60 
		
	
	These remittances comprise payment for services provided directly to DFID but also include remittances where they retain a fee and disburse a much larger amount to others. Such amounts are included within the totals in the table above.
	The Department's central procurement records do not hold details of contracts let below the EU threshold, which fall within the delegated authority of spending departments, including country offices. To provide this level of detail would incur disproportionate cost. Those contracts which exceed the EU threshold are subject to the Department’s competitive tender process, in line with EU regulations.

Sahel

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to prevent famine in the Sahel; and whether he will provide additional funding if he deems it necessary to prevent a worsening of the situation.

Stephen O'Brien: The United Nations currently estimates that the food crisis in the Sahel region of west Africa has left over 18 million people at risk of food shortage over the next few months. Of these, 8 million people require urgent assistance.
	Having been in the region earlier this month, I can confirm that the scale of the needs are great, but the UK's early assistance is already achieving results and helping to avert the worst of the crisis, which nonetheless continues.
	In response to the unfolding crisis, the UK provided two contributions of £5 million each in January and March 2012.
	I confirm that we have announced over the past two weeks a further package of assistance. Worth an additional £15.4 million, this more than doubles UK assistance to the region in 2012, to a total of £25.4 million.
	Through this assistance, British aid this year will support 1.6 million people at risk of hunger across Mali, Niger, Chad, Mauritania and Burkina Faso, to achieve the following results:
	Improved nutrition for 185,000 children and women (including therapeutic treatment to save the lives of over 110,000 severely malnourished children under five years old);
	Food and cash vouchers for over 250,000 men, women and children;
	Livelihoods support to over 980,000 people through:
	1. The provision of seeds and tools for families to enable them to feed themselves for the next year; and
	2. Animal feed and vaccinations to keep farmers' livestock alive.
	These direct funds are in addition to £27 million of UK contributions also being provided in 2012 to the Sahel region through multilateral agencies such as the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
	I and my officials will continue to monitor the situation closely and liaise with our opposite numbers in other governments to urge that other countries also take their fair share of the response.

Syria

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what reports he has received on the humanitarian situation of Syrian refugees at the Turkish, Lebanese, Jordanian and Iraqi borders.

Alan Duncan: The UN estimates there are over 93,000 Syrian refugees in need of assistance in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, and numbers are steadily increasing. Priority humanitarian needs among Syrian refugees continue to be food and basic supplies, shelter and assistance with rent, access to safe water and sanitation, as well as support for host communities. Many Syrians fleeing the violence require emergency medical assistance as well as basic health care and psychological support. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is co-ordinating with other humanitarian agencies to provide assistance for people fleeing Syria, in addition to the support and services the governments of neighbouring countries are providing. I recently visited the Jordan-Syria border where I met families who had fled some of the worst affected parts of Syria. I also saw the tremendous efforts the UN and governments of neighbouring countries are making to support those fleeing the violence.
	The UK has so far provided £2 million to UNHCR to provide accommodation, food, and other essential support to meet the needs of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. This is in addition to substantial core funding which the Department provides to UNHCR for its global operations. The UK is also funding the UN and humanitarian agencies working to provide much needed food, water and sanitation, and medical assistance in Syria and the region. Our total funding to date now stands at £8.5 million to meet humanitarian needs. We speak regularly to our humanitarian partners to assess what further help may be needed.

Abid Hussain

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) he, (b) Ministers in his Department and (c) officials in his Department were aware that Abid Hussain would be accompanying the Minister without Portfolio on official visits abroad.

Alistair Burt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General, my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr Maude), on 25 June 2012, Official Report, column 115W.

Air Displays: Farnborough

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the statement of 11 June 2012, Official Report, column 45, on Syria, if he will make representations to the organisers of the July 2012 Farnborough Air Show that they should withdraw their invitation to Rosoboronexport to exhibit at that show.

Alistair Burt: Farnborough International Air Show is a commercial event, run by Farnborough International Ltd. The British Government plays no part in determining which companies-are invited to exhibit.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has made clear to Foreign Minister Lavrov on several occasions his deep concerns about continued Russian arms transfers to the Syrian Regime.

Azerbaijan

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the government of Azerbaijan on refugees and internally displaced persons in that country.

David Lidington: Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis and Armenians are displaced as a direct result of the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, over Nagorno Karabakh. The fundamental problem can only be resolved through a negotiated peaceful settlement.
	In meetings with relevant Armenian and Azerbaijani interlocutors, including with both Foreign Ministers and Presidents, the British Government urges both sides to use all available diplomatic means, in particular the Minsk Group process, to achieve such a settlement. The Prime Minister raised the issue with the Azerbaijani President on 21 May 2012 at the NATO Chicago summit and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised this with the Armenian Foreign Minister on 13 July 2011 in London.
	The British Government funds a number of peace building initiatives, in support of dialogue and reconciliation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and supports the UN Refugee Agency's work on strengthening the asylum system and assisting refugees to become self-reliant.
	In recent weeks, tension has escalated along the northern border and the line of contact around Nagorno Karabakh itself. Together with other EU member states, we have called on both countries to show restraint and to refrain from further violence.

Belarus

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the EU High Representative on sending election monitoring missions to Belarus to oversee the recently-announced parliamentary elections.

David Lidington: The Government has had no discussions with the EU High Representative on this issue. The state of democracy and human rights in Belarus remains poor, making effective monitoring of the 23 September parliamentary elections particularly important. Along with our EU partners, the Government will encourage Belarus to invite a monitoring mission from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) for the parliamentary elections. The UK would offer strong support to any such mission.

Complaints

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many complaints about the work of his Department and each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies were received in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: Records of complaints received by our network of diplomatic posts around the world are not held centrally and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost. Information on complaints raised with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) by the parliamentary ombudsman are recorded on page 29 of the FCO’s annual departmental report:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/publications/annual-reports/annual-report-accounts-2010-11
	For the period April 2010-March 2011, 1,061 complaints relating to the FCO’s consular services were received by consular staff based in the UK. For the period April 2011-March 2012, 191 complaints relating to the FCO’s consular services were received by consular staff based in the UK. There was a change in reporting method for the 2011-12 figures, which do not include complaints regarding passports and visas following the transfer of responsibility to the Overseas Passport Management Unit/Identity and Passport Service and the UK Border Agency respectively.
	FCO Services is an Executive agency and trading fund of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which operates commercially and competes with private sector suppliers for the provision of secure logistics, project and information communication technology services. As an organisation it supplies products and services to the UK Government and other international institutions and governments with which the UK has close links. FCO Services has a formal complaints procedure to enable its government customers to resolve issues as they arise. Eight cases were logged through this procedure in 2010-11 and six in 2011-12. Complaints received outside of this formal procedure are not recorded.
	The British Council is an Executive non-departmental body of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It is also a registered charity, and is incorporated by Royal Charter. The British Council does not hold a central log of complaints received across its global network. Offices overseas each have a designated complaints manager and deal with any complaints which arise locally. The British Council has recently begun to collect feedback which includes complaints on its UK operations. In 2011-12 383 such enquiries were received using this mechanism.
	Wilton Park is an Executive agency of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which organises conferences on international topics. Wilton Park does not hold central records of complaints received, and it did not receive any complaints about its service in 2010-11 or 2011-12. Feedback from conference delegates indicate that the conferences are well received.
	The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission is a non-departmental body of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It administers the Marshall Scholarship programme, which provides scholarships to students from the USA to pursue postgraduate study in the UK. The Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission has a formal complaints procedure. It did not receive any complaints about its work in 2010-11 or 2011-12.
	The Great Britain China Centre do not hold central records of complaints received.

Egypt

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the conduct of the recent elections in Egypt.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), issued a statement on 19 June in which he welcomed the peaceful conduct of the second round of Egypt's presidential elections. Following the announcement of the results on 24 June, he congratulated the Egyptian people for their commitment to the democratic process and wished the new President of Egypt, Dr Mohammed Mursi, success in the challenging task ahead.
	The election monitoring missions of the Carter Center and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA), both of which were partly funded by the Arab Partnership, concluded that while the uncertain political environment in which the elections were held was of concern, the conduct on polling days was largely orderly and free from major and systematic flaws that unfairly advantaged either candidate. This assessment was shared by embassy staff in Cairo who visited over 100 polling stations throughout Egypt during the first and second rounds of the presidential elections.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  which energy supplier supplies his Department with (a) gas and (b) electricity;
	(3)  whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has spent the following amounts on gas and electricity in the UK in the past eight years. Figures prior to 2003-04 are not available on a comparable basis.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Gas Electricity 
			 2011-12 13,868 2,530,841 
			 2010-11 37,959 2,539,432 
			 2009-10 46,513 3,030,620 
			 2008-09 44,078 3,216,694 
			 2007-08 26,323 1,892,457 
			 2006-07 25,740 1,596,434 
			 2005-06 36,610 1,282,301 
			 2004-05 16,600 870,899 
		
	
	Energy usage increased significantly with the opening of Data Centres for storing electronic records in 2008-09. Cost reductions from 2010 onwards reflect FCO actions to meet sustainability targets, such as installation of low energy lighting and improved efficiency of other electrical equipment. As a result of estimated gas readings in 2010-11 the FCO was charged more than actual usage; 2011-12 costs were therefore significantly lower as this figure reflects a credit.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office uses the following suppliers across the UK Estate:
	Gas—Corona Energy and E-ON
	Electricity—EDF
	Corona Energy supply gas to Lancaster House and 1 Carlton Gardens as domestic users and E-ON to King Charles Street on a commercial tariff. The Old Admiralty Building and Hanslope Park are not supplied with Gas.
	In 2008 The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK changed its gas supplier from British Gas to Corona Energy and its electricity supplier from London Energy to EDF.
	All supplies are purchased through Government Procurement Service suppliers to achieve best value through Government wide framework contracts.
	The detail of energy suppliers and costs for our overseas network is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost

EU Enlargement

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met the President of the Council of Ministers to discuss EU enlargement; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The Government is a strong supporter of EU enlargement for all of the countries of the Western Balkans, Iceland and Turkey when conditions are met. We hope that each country will continue to make progress against the conditions, and progress along the path to their EU future. I frequently discuss the question of EU enlargement, in these terms, with a wide range of EU interlocutors. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), most recently discussed these issues with EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Füle, on 29 May 2012. Ministers also discuss the progress of countries throughout the year in the Council. For example we discussed at the 29 May General Affairs Council the European Commission's Interim Monitoring Report on Croatia, assessing Croatia's continued progress towards fully meeting the conditions for membership ahead of its expected accession to the EU on 1 July 2013. And we hope to be able to open accession negotiations with Montenegro in June. We look forward to further substantive discussion in December of all countries and their progress towards the EU on the basis of the European Commission's Annual Enlargement Package, published in the autumn.

Visits Abroad

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many official overseas trips by Government Ministers have been paid for by foreign governments since May 2010.

David Lidington: Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers are regularly hosted by foreign Governments as part of their official duties. This can include covering some of the costs of accommodation, travel and security support.
	The FCO does not hold records on the funding of overseas trips undertaken by non-FCO Ministers. The Government publishes on a quarterly basis information about Ministers' visits overseas. Information for the period May 2010 to December 2011 is in the Library of the House.

World Refugee Day

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to mark World Refugee Day 2012.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office did not mark World Refugee Day on 20 June 2012. The UK is very proud to be a signatory to the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and of its ongoing commitment to provide sanctuary to those in genuine need of protection. The Convention remains as relevant and important today as it has ever been. The UK's Department for International Development provides substantial long-term care funding to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) which provides protection and assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons all around the word. In 2010 UNHCR helped over 25 million people which is 58% of all people displaced worldwide.

Demonstrations: Prosecutions

Louise Mensch: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions have been brought in each region under section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 in the last 12 months.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates court, by region for offences under section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 in England and Wales for 2011 can be viewed in the table as follows:
	
		
			 Defendants proceeded against at magistrates court for offences under Section 42 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, by region, England and Wales, 2011 (1, 2) 
			 Statute Offence description Region Proceeded against 
			 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 S42A Harassment etc. of a person in his home North East 0 
			   North West 1 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside 1 
			   East Midlands 1 
			   West Midlands 1 
			   East of England 1 
			   London 2 
			   South East 0 
			   South West 0 
		
	
	
		
			   Wales 1 
			     
			 Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001, S.42 (7A) and (7B) Failing to comply with a direction to leave the vicinity and not to return within a specified period for the purposes of representing to or persuading the resident that he should do something or not do something. Knowingly contravening a direction or conditions given by constable under this section North East 6 
			   North West 31 
			   Yorkshire and Humberside 14 
			   East Midlands 10 
			   West Midlands 0 
			   East of England 3 
			   London 0 
			   South East 12 
			   South West 2 
			   Wales 1 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.() Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice.

Driving Offences: Insurance

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of court proceedings arising from the trial of drivers accused of making fraudulent insurance claims in (a) 1997, (b) 2002 and (c) 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The offence of ‘making fraudulent insurance claims’ is likely to be proceeded against under Section 1 of the Fraud Act 2006. This includes offenders who dishonestly make false representations to make gains for themselves or cause losses to another person.
	The Ministry of Justice does not collate all details of proceedings. As a result it is not possible to specifically identify and cost proceedings that relate to drivers accused of making fraudulent insurance claims under Section 1 of the Fraud Act. This information could be obtained only by examining all relevant court records of Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service and would incur disproportionate cost.

Young Offenders

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what strategies he will employ to cut crime among those who have (a) persistently run away from home, (b) been taken into care as a child, (c) regularly truanted from school, (d) been excluded from school and (e) acquired no qualifications.

Crispin Blunt: We recognise that there are a range of risk factors for criminal and offending behaviour.
	Police forces need to tackle crime in line with local priorities, and from November 2012, the election of police and crime commissioners will drive down crime by making policing more accountable and responsive to local needs and concerns. Police.uk now provides the public with street-level information about crime to enable them hold local policing teams to account, and the Government has swept away central targets and is cutting bureaucracy to help free police officers to cut crime.
	At a national level, the Department for Education has set in motion a number of far-reaching reforms to address the entrenched educational and social failures that can drive problems like youth crime and violence. The education reforms will drive up pupil performance and increase participation in further study and employment.
	We are revising the statutory guidance on 'children who run away or go missing from home or care' to give local authorities a clearer understanding of their duties so that they understand the importance of intervening early with this vulnerable group.
	Improving all aspects of the lives of children in care-placement stability, education, health, the daily experience of being in care, the successful transition to adulthood, and strengthening the adoption system are priorities for the Government. We are giving additional financial support at every level of these children's education; and encouraging LAs to provide intensive support for the most vulnerable, especially those who have the most entrenched difficulties and are on the edge of offending.
	We know that regular absence from school leads to low levels of attainment so we have reduced the threshold where a pupil is defined as persistently absent from 20% to 15% so that those children who demonstrate a pattern of missing too much schooling can be picked up early, and the problem addressed. The Government is also implementing all the recommendations in the Taylor report on improving school attendance with exception of the recommendation to deduct unpaid penalty notices from parents' child benefit. The Government is still considering how best to implement the enforcement of unpaid penalty notices.
	The Government has also introduced behaviour reforms in schools to help tackle key root causes of disengagement, lack of attainment, and antisocial behaviour. For example, Government is currently trialling a new approach to exclusion in almost 300 schools. This approach sees schools commissioning preventative services for their most challenging pupils using local authority resources previously dedicated to educating excluded pupils. By addressing poor behaviour earlier we can reduce the need for exclusion and improve the education of vulnerable pupils.
	These reforms will ensure that pupils achieve better outcomes, are motivated to remain in education, and remain on a path to a fulfilling life.
	We are driving up participation in education and training as we prepare to raise the age of compulsory participation to 17 in 2013 and 18 in 2015. We are providing additional support for disadvantaged young people through the Pupil Premium; investing a record £7.5 billion in education and training places for 16 to 18-year-olds; providing targeted financial support through the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund and investing £126 million support disengaged 16 to 17-year-olds through the Youth Contract. Giving every young person the opportunity to gain the skills and qualifications they need will reduce the risks of unemployment and associated negative outcomes for young people.

Agriculture: Food

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has made an assessment of the effect of the situation in the Eurozone on (a) farmers and (b) food manufacturers in the UK.

James Paice: As part of our normal business DEFRA monitors market developments and stays in touch with stakeholders regarding the implications for their sectors. At the moment, we are actively listening to any particular concerns they raise in light of the current market uncertainty.
	In terms of the outlook, the Government has contingency plans in place to cover a range of eventualities and risks.

Common Agricultural Policy

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether farmers will be able to receive payment for ecosystem services under the Common Agricultural Policy Scheme.

James Paice: Pillar two of the common agricultural policy provides funding for environmental outcomes through environmental stewardship. Environmental stewardship, as a mechanism for paying those who deliver a wide range of environmental outcomes from the farmed environment, can be considered a Payment for Ecosystem Services scheme, with Government effectively purchasing public benefits on behalf of a large number of beneficiaries, for example, relating to landscape and biodiversity. The Government is committed to encouraging Payments for Ecosystem Services pilots across a broad spectrum of nature's services and beneficiaries. The Government is in favour of a greener CAP, with a greater proportion spent on public goods, including improved environmental outcomes such as supporting biodiversity and climate mitigation, and will be seeking to secure this in the CAP Reform negotiations.

Dairy Farming

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the dairy milk trade and its effect on dairy farmers; if she will consider introducing a code of practice in the dairy supply chain; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: I can appreciate the difficulties for farmers as a result of recent cuts in milk prices. However, income for all operators in the supply chain will vary as a result of price changes on global agricultural markets. World, EU and UK market prices have all dropped in recent months.
	Industry representatives are currently well-engaged in the process of establishing a voluntary Code of Practice for the dairy industry and I fully support these efforts. This has the potential to improve the position of farmers and it could be up and running far more quickly than any legislation. It would also leave the industry in control.

Incapacity Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish data on the number of appeals made against incapacity benefit reassessment outcomes.

Chris Grayling: The requested information is not available.
	The Department does intend to publish appeals data on the number and outcomes of completed appeals against work capability assessment outcomes for incapacity benefit reassessment cases.
	This data will be released once we have performed the required quality assurance and are satisfied with the quality of the statistics.

Incapacity Benefit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of completed incapacity benefit reassessments have been (a) found fit for work, (b) placed in the Support Group or (c) placed in the Work Related Activity Group.

Chris Grayling: In March 2012 the Department released official statistics on the outcomes of incapacity benefits reassessment claims that had been referred for reassessment by the end of July 2011. This is the latest data available.
	The publication can be found on the departmental website at the following link:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_ibr

Universal Credit

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to determine how many benefit recipients are able to access the internet; and what proportion of benefit claimants his Department estimates will use the internet to access universal credit in (a) 2013, (b) 2014 and (c) 2015.

Chris Grayling: A survey of potential claimants to universal credit was conducted in 2011 to determine the percentage of claimants who were at that time able to access the internet. We will publish the results of this survey on 12 July 2012. We expect the proportion of claimants who use the online system, to be in line with published Cabinet Office guidelines of 80% from 2017 onwards. Initial take-up is estimated to be around 50% in 2013 and 2014; 55% in 2015 and increase towards the target.

Work Capability Assessment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what issues are taken into account when determining whether to call in a person in receipt of employment and support allowance for a repeat work capability assessment.

Chris Grayling: As part of the WCA, a healthcare professional will give advice on when they think a claimant's functional capability may have changed sufficiently that a return to work may be possible.
	They must also give a justification for this advice, which is used by the Department to decide when to reassess claimants.
	We recognise that asking customers to attend an unnecessary examination is in no-one's interests, for example, those people with terminal illnesses will not undergo a face-to-face assessment.
	In addition, claimants who are unlikely to return to work in the longer term will be reassessed after two years if they have limited capability for work and after three years if they have limited capability for work related activity. This is because it is important not to write people off completely, even if an individual is unlikely to see an improvement in their condition.
	Wherever possible, these reassessments will not involve a face-to-face assessment and a decision will be made using paper-based evidence.

Mobile Phones

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the likely date for commencement of the roll-out of 4G; and what steps his Department is taking to facilitate this process.

Edward Vaizey: The auctioning of 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum is a matter for Ofcom, the Independent regulator. Ofcom remain on schedule for the UK auction process to start by the end of 2012. This is compatible with the spectrum becoming available to allow successful bidders to start rolling out 4G services in these bands in 2013.
	Additionally, Ofcom recently undertook a consultation on liberalising the licensing requirements for the 1800 MHz band to allow deployment of 4G services in that band. Ofcom's proposals stemmed from a request from Everything Everywhere to authorise the use of LTE technology under their licences for 1800 MHz spectrum. This consultation closed on 8 May 2012 and the responses raised a number of detailed issues that Ofcom must now consider. Ofcom intend to publish a statement on the proposed variation as early as possible.

Cancer

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the NHS Commissioning Board provides cancer networks with adequate funding beyond 2013 and that they are closely involved in the development of the new system.

Paul Burstow: We have made it clear that there is a role for clinical networks, such as cancer networks, in the new health system, as a place where clinicians from different sectors come together to improve the quality of care across integrated, pathways.
	The cancer networks are a clear example of how this way of working delivers better quality. That is why the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), announced in May 2011 that cancer networks would continue to be funded in 2012-13 and that the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) would support strengthened cancer networks.
	The review of clinical networks, including cancer networks, has been considering the functions, structures and governance that will most effectively support commissioners to improve outcomes for patients. The review has received input from over 800 stakeholders, including representatives from cancer networks.
	The NHS CB authority will publish its recommendations for clinical networks in the new health system in summer.

Cancer

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider developing an indicator based on the National Cancer Patient Experience in the NHS Outcomes Framework and Commissioning Outcomes Framework to incentivise improvements at local level.

Paul Burstow: We will shortly be publishing the results from the national Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2011 and we expect that they would continue to be used in supporting local action to bring about improvements.
	The current focus of patient experience measures in the NHS Outcomes Framework takes a generic approach recognising that people often have more than one condition. While we are committed to keeping the framework under review, we are keen to maintain this balance so that the framework represents the breadth of national health service activity.
	For the Commissioning Outcomes Framework, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a list of potential indicators as part of their public consultation on 1 February. This list included an appendix of further potential indicators to be considered for future development as they would not be ready for April 2013. The appendix included an indicator on patient experience of cancer services. NICE's independent advisory committee met in public on 21-22 May to consider the evidence base. NICE, is expected to publish recommendations on 1 August. The NHS Commissioning Board will then make decisions on the shape of the framework for 2013-14.

Cancer

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will include one and five year survival rates of all types of cancer in the NHS Outcomes Framework and the Commissioning Outcomes Framework.

Paul Burstow: The indicators in the NHS Outcomes Framework were selected to provide a balanced focus, to reflect the breadth of national health service activity. We are currently considering whether it is possible to develop a composite indicator showing one-year survival rates for all cancers, to replace some or all of the individual survival rate indicators.
	The Commissioning Outcomes Framework will be developed by the NHS Commissioning Board, informed by advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE published a list of potential, measures for the Commissioning Outcomes Framework for public consultation in February. The consultation included indicators on five-year survival rates for specific cancers, and some potential indicators for one-year survival rates and patient experience of cancer services. NICE's independent advisory committee met in public to consider the evidence base on 21-22 May. NICE are expected to publish their recommendations on 1 August. The NHS Commissioning Board will then make decisions on the shape of the framework for 2013-14.

Congenital Abnormalities

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to monitor people affected by foetal anti-convulsion disorder as they make the transition into adulthood; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people affected by foetal anti-convulsive syndrome owing to NHS prescriptions of (a) phenytoin, (b) carbamazepine and (c) sodium valproate; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: We have made no estimate of the number of people affected by foetal anti-convulsive syndrome, nor is the Department monitoring people affected by the condition as they make the transition into adulthood.
	We recognise the importance of effective transition between children's and adults' services. It is for local health service organisations to commission a comprehensive service for all people within their local communities, including adolescents and adults and those moving through transition. Clinical commissioning groups, working in conjunction with Health and Wellbeing Boards, will be required to take account of their population's needs and commission and provide services accordingly.
	There are initiatives being undertaken by Government that are seeking to improve health related services for children and young people.
	Many of the outcomes within the NHS Outcomes Framework, which sets the national outcomes that the national health service should be aiming to achieve, seek to make improvements for children and young people specifically. The Public Health Outcomes Framework also helps set a clear direction for children's health.
	The Commissioning Board will also have a role in commissioning certain services, for example, highly specialised services for children and young people with a disability, where, the numbers requiring such services in an area are too low for it to be viable for these services to be commissioned locally.
	The Department is developing an Outcomes Strategy, which aims to improve the quality of health care services and outcomes for children and young people. The strategy focuses on the themes of public health, acutely sick children, mental health and long-term medical conditions.

Diabetes

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to promote the prevention and early identification of diabetes.

Paul Burstow: The Government is committed to the prevention of Type 2 diabetes. All work on promoting an active lifestyle and tackling obesity will support this aim. It is important to identify people with diabetes early to ensure that they receive prompt treatment to manage their diabetes and to help delay or prevent long-term complications of the condition.

Energy

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department switched its (a) gas or (b) electricity supplier in any of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: The Department has switched its gas and electricity supplier on a number of occasions over the last 10 years. The latest change of supplier has taken place from 1 April 2012.
	This latest change of supplier was organised through a framework with the Government Procurement Service (GPS). All GPS frameworks are awarded on the basis of a fully competitive process governed by Official Journal of the European Union rules. Under Cabinet Office guidance, GPS is also the recognised provider for all central Government energy supplies. The latest change of suppliers have been as follows:
	Gas from Total Gas and Power to Corona;
	Electricity Non Half Hourly for Scottish and Southern Energy to British Gas; and
	Half Hourly from Scottish and Southern Energy to EDF Energy.

Government Procurement Card

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many procurement card holders in his Department were (a) paid off-payroll, (b) employed on a part-time basis and (c) employed as a non-permanent employee in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12.

Simon Burns: The breakdown by staff type of government procurement card holders is given in the following table. It should be noted that our cardholder records do not distinguish between full-time and part-time civil servants. For the purposes of this response the term ‘non-permanent-employees’ has been defined as ‘on-payroll staff on fixed term contracts’.
	Off-payroll staff includes those seconded into the Department from other organisations to fulfil a civil service role, such as from national health service bodies and other Government Departments.
	
		
			  On payroll permanent On payroll fixed term Off payroll Total cardholders 
			 2009-10 424 1 15 440 
			 2010-11 338 2 20 360 
			 2011-12 289 4 21 314

Health

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what split of public health responsibilities he proposes between Public Health England and local authorities.

Anne Milton: Sections 11 and 12 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 confer separate, but related, public health duties on the Secretary of State and on upper tier and unitary local authorities in England. From April 2013 the Secretary of State will have a duty to take the steps he considers appropriate to protect the health of the people of England. As well as this general duty the Act sets out some specific functions of the Secretary of State, including existing statutory functions of the Health Protection Agency (which the Act abolishes). Public Health England will be an executive agency of the Department's, established to undertake the Secretary of State's duties.
	The duty on local authorities is to take the steps they consider appropriate to improve the health of the people in their area. The Act gives the Secretary of State the power to prescribe in regulations particular steps that local authorities must take. On 20 December 2011 the Department published a series of fact sheets describing roles and responsibilities in the reformed public health system. The fact sheet “Public health in local government: local government's new public health functions” sets out those services that the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley) intends to prescribe in regulations, and “Public health in local, government: commissioning responsibilities” lists other public health services that local authorities will be responsible for commissioning from 2013. Copies of these fact sheets have been placed in the Library.

Malnutrition

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the Care Quality Commission's second phase of the Dignity and Nutrition Inspection Programme will assess the quality of nutritional care provided by home care or domiciliary care services; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has provided the following information.
	The second phase of Dignity and Nutrition Inspections are split into two programmes, one involving 500 inspections of care homes, the other 50 inspections of national health service trusts.
	As part of its assessment the CQC inspectors will speak to users of the services and their relatives, observe the interaction between patients/people and staff as well as reviewing documentation including care plans and speaking to staff. The inspectors will use direct observation of mealtimes, including evening meals and weekends to assess whether the nutritional and hydration needs of individuals are being met. They will look at service users' records to see how nutrition and hydration are monitored. Inspectors will also make use of a short observational framework designed to help understand the quality of the experiences of people including during mealtimes for those who are unable to provide feedback due to their cognitive or communication impairments.
	The assessment of the quality of nutritional care by domiciliary care services is not a feature of the themed inspection programmes CQC is running at present.
	The CQC undertake regular planned and responsive inspections of domiciliary care agencies, if inspectors identify concerns during these inspections that relate to nutritional care they have the option to review this outcome area (Outcome 5—Meeting nutritional needs).

Business: Complaints

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has had discussions with representatives of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) regarding granting SME representative bodies super complaint status in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill; and which bodies were consulted.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 21 June 2012
	The Government consulted on proposals to grant SMEs representative bodies super-complainant status in a public consultation on competition reform, 'A Competition Regime for Growth: A Consultation on Options for Reform'. During the consultation period officials at the Department for Business Innovation and Skills held discussions on the proposals contained in that document with a number of stakeholders including the Forum of Private Business, British Chambers of Commerce and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

Competition and Markets Authority

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions on the resource requirements of the merged Competition and Mergers Authority his Department had with (a) the Office of Fair Trading and (b) the Competition Commission.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 25 June 2012
	The Government is working closely with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Competition Commission (CC) in planning for the transition to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and has established a CMA Transition Board whose key purpose is to oversee the creation of the CMA and plan for the transition from CC and OFT. The board member organisations are the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, HM Treasury, OFT and CC. When appointed the CMA Chair-designate will chair the CMA Transition Board.

Environment Protection

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what programmes his Department has put in place to encourage development of the UK's green economy.

Mark Prisk: Last year the Government published “Enabling the Transition to a Green Economy” which will serve as a tool to inform continuing dialogue between government, business and communities. It sets out the range of policies we are using to support the transition to a green economy, the opportunities that are created and the implications for the way in which businesses operate.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has a number of programmes that are relevant to the development of the UK's green economy. Among them is the £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain fund, which aims to increase growth potential in manufacturing by improving the competitiveness of supply chains, and is open to businesses in the renewable energy and other low carbon sectors. There is also support available to the supply chain through the Regional Growth Fund, which several companies involved in renewable energy have benefited from. The Department is also supporting innovation through the Technology Strategy Board's catapult centres, one of which is the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre that is able to provide engineering expertise for new technology development. The Manufacturing Advisory Service includes within its remit low carbon and supply chain diversification themes.
	The Government recognises that development of appropriate skills is an important part of the green economy. A report “Skills for a Green Economy” was published in October 2011, and maps out possible skills needs and gaps across different green sectors. The Government has put learners and employers in the driving seat, giving them the support, funding and information to make the right choices and to help employers shape the skills system. Taken together, we are creating a strong and flexible platform to meet the skills needs for the green economy transition.
	The UK Green Investment Bank (UK GIB) is being developed as a key component of the Government's transition to a green and growing economy. The Bank's mission is
	‘to provide financial solutions to accelerate private sector investment in the UK's transition to a green economy’.
	Funded with £3 billion, it will tackle finance gaps which still remain despite a range of strong policies to incentivise green investments. It will work towards a 'double bottom line' of both achieving environmental policies and making positive financial returns.

New Businesses: Government Assistance

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to assist start-up businesses.

Mark Prisk: We want to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business, and for the next decade to be the most entrepreneurial and dynamic in Britain's history. That is why, in January, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, launched “Business in You”, a major year-long campaign, to inspire people to realise their business ambitions and to highlight the range of support available for start-ups and growing businesses.
	We recognise that these are challenging times for new businesses. In addition to ensuring that we have the right environment to help businesses grow, for example through reducing red tape and enabling small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) more easily to access public procurement opportunities, we have introduced a range of measures to encourage people to set up their own business.
	Ensuring individuals can access the support and advice they need to start and grow their business
	We have transformed the way that we enable people to access the information, guidance and advice they need to start and grow a business. We have put in place a range of services including;
	An improved:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk
	website including My New Business, a comprehensive start-up service.
	A Business Link helpline which will support those who are unable to access the internet.
	A mentoring portal
	www.mentorsme.co.uk
	providing an easy route to find experienced business mentors.
	Ensuring businesses can access the finance the y  need
	Ensuring the flow of credit to viable SMEs is essential for supporting growth and is a core priority for this Government. Government have:
	Introduced a new National Loan Guarantee scheme: up to £20 billion of guarantees for bank funding will be available over two years allowing banks to offer lower cost lending to SMEs.
	Increased the funds available to invest through the Business Finance Partnership (BFP) to £1.2 billion. Government have invited the first round of proposals to help businesses access non-bank finance through the BFP, and will allocate £100 million of the BFP to invest through non-traditional lending channels.
	Announced the continuation of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme until 2014/15, providing, subject to demand, over £2 billion in total over the next four years.
	Announced continuation of the Government's Enterprise Capital Funds programme, increasing our commitment by £200 million over the next four years, providing for more than £300 million of venture capital investment to address the equity gap for early stage innovative SMEs.
	Launched a new Startup Loan scheme to provide advice and start-up finance for 18-24 year olds looking to start their own business.
	Encouraged Business Angel investment through a new £50 million Business Angel Co- Investment Fund.
	We know that positive encouragement is also necessary to show that starting a business is a great idea. You may be aware that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, has appointed my Noble Friend Lord Young of Graffham to advise on small business and enterprise issues. A key objective of my Noble Friend Lord Young's work is to demonstrate that this is a great time to start a business, with record numbers of people becoming their own boss, supported by a wide range of help and encouragement to entrepreneurs from all ages and backgrounds. On 28 May, my Noble Friend Lord Young published his independent report on small business and enterprise, entitled “Make Business Your Business”. The report includes a guide to starting and developing a business which showcases much of the support on offer. The report can be accessed at:
	http://www.startupbritain.org/resource/binary/userfiles/Make_Business_Your_Business_2.pdf
	We will continue to work with the SME community to explore barriers to business start-up and to develop policies to help address these barriers.

Office of Fair Trading: Competition Commission

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what savings his Department has estimated will arise from the proposed merger of the Office of Fair Trading and the Competition Commission over and above those expected from the 2010 Spending Review.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 21 June 2012
	The Government has always made clear that the main purpose of creating the new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) and implementing reforms is to strengthen the competition regime to support growth. Savings will mainly be from streamlining, and eliminating overlaps between the phase 1 and phase 2 of investigations. The impact assessment identified the potential costs and savings and quantified some of these. In preparing for the transition to the new CMA Government will continue to refine these estimates as the structure and nature of the transition becomes clearer.

Office of Fair Trading: Competition Commission

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the potential number of investigations that would be delayed during the merger of the Competition Commission and the Office of Fair Trading.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 21 June 2012
	Ministers consider the work of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and Competition Commission to be vital to the economy. The Government is committed to ensuring a smooth transition process and will work closely with OFT and Competition Commission to minimise disruption to the organisations while they continue to carry out their important roles and services.

Overseas Trade

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the recommendations by the British Chambers of Commerce in its report entitled Exporting is Good for Britain but Red Tape Stifles Growth, if he will take further steps to open up new markets to UK exporters through free trade arrangements.

Mark Prisk: The British Government supports the call made by the British Chambers of Commerce in its paper.
	The Government is strongly committed to pursuing trade liberalisation, which benefits the UK not only in terms of new markets for UK exporters, but also through greater access to innovation, productive inputs and consumer goods. For this reason, the Government has, for example, led calls in the EU for the opening of negotiations for an EU-Japan Free Trade Agreement; and for negotiations with Singapore and Canada to be concluded this year. The British Government has also been the strongest advocate in the EU for launching negotiations with the US to increase further trade and investment flows across the Atlantic.

Research: Disclosure of Information

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on allowing public access to publicly-funded academic research; and what plans he has for such access.

David Willetts: As stated in the Innovation and Research Strategy for Growth published in December 2011, the Government is committed to ensuring that publicly funded research should be accessible free of charge. The Government's approach was further explained in my speech to the Publishers' Association of 2 May 2012, see
	www.bis.gov.uk/news/speeches/david-willetts-public-access-to-research
	As stated in paragraph 6.8 of the strategy, see
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/i/11-1387-innovation-and-research-strategy-for-growth.pdf
	“Government will work with partners, including the publishing industry, to achieve free access to publicly-funded research as soon as possible and will set an example itself.
	We have helped establish an independent working group chaired by Janet Finch to consider how to improve access to research publications, including publicly-funded research.
	The Royal Society is considering how to improve the sharing and disclosing of research data, both within the research community and beyond.
	Alan Langlands is chairing a task force to advise on improving the accessibility of data within Government and its agencies, which will advise on data linkage, conditions of access and data quality. This will report during 2012.”
	The Government will consider further steps in light of the findings and recommendations from these groups. Both the Finch Group and Royal Society studies have now reported, see
	www.researchinfonet.org/publish/finch
	and
	www.royalsociety.org/policy/projects/science-public-enterprise
	the Government is now considering their findings and recommendations.
	The Government will be issuing a response to the Finch Group in consultation with relevant research funding bodies.

Trade Competitiveness

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the contribution to the economy of (a) competition and (b) the competition authorities.

Norman Lamb: holding answer 25 June 2012
	Competitive markets ensure that scarce economic resources are put to their most efficient use. Markets that work well provide strong incentives for firms to innovate, improve production methods and lower prices. This in turn results in consumer benefits through lower prices, greater choice, higher quality and improved service offering.
	(a) The impact of well-functioning, competitive markets on the economy occurs through several channels. Firstly, effective competition acts as a disciplining mechanism for firms, incentivising firms to become more efficient. Secondly, competition results in the most innovative and productive firms thriving and gaining market share at the expense those that are not so. Competition also has effects on the broader macro-economic indicators, resulting in lower inflation and higher foreign direct investment. Competitive markets also result in confident and well-informed consumers, who make decisions which best satisfy their requirements.
	Notwithstanding these important effects, estimating the impact of competition on the economy is a difficult task given the intangible nature of the impacts.
	(b) The OFT assesses the impact of its work on the economy on an annual basis, as part of its performance target of delivering benefits to consumers at least five times the cost of its operations to the taxpayer. The latest available report(1) found that the OFT delivered annual average consumer benefits of £326 million, resulting in a benefit to cost ratio of around 7:1, above the target agreed with the Treasury. The OFT estimated that the competition regime in the UK benefited consumers by almost £689 million in 2010-11.
	(1) For the financial year ending March 2011. OFT (2011), 'Positive Impact 10/11: Consumer Benefits from the OFT's work'.

Community Banks

Guy Opperman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to make it easier to set up local community banks.

Mark Hoban: The Government believes that it is important for consumers to be able to access an appropriate range of financial products and services.
	Therefore it is essential that the regulatory regime facilitates new entrants to the banking market wherever possible. The Financial Services Authority and the Bank of England are conducting reviews of the prudential and conduct requirements for new entrants to the banking sector to ensure that the requirements are proportionate and do not pose excessive barriers to entry or expansion.

Economic Growth

Chris Williamson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the level of economic growth in 2012.

Chloe Smith: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. In their March Economic and fiscal outlook, the OBR forecast economic growth of 0.8% in 2012.

Eurozone Financial Crisis

David Rutley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps the Government are taking to limit the effect on the UK of the financial crisis in the eurozone.

Mark Hoban: This Government have taken decisive action to cut the deficit and stimulate growth, helping insulate the UK from the worst of the euro crisis. It's because of that action that we have secured near record low bond yields to the benefit of businesses and families across the UK. We have also ensured that all UK banks have built their capital buffers in recent years, with the largest UK banks reporting a core tier 1 ratio of 10% or above. Furthermore we have also recently announced two new schemes worth tens of billions of pounds to boost lending during this period of uncertainty.

Air Passenger Duty

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to section 29 of the Coalition Agreement, when he plans to bring forward plans to switch the Air Passenger Duty to a per plane basis rather than per passenger; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: As set out at Budget 2011, the Government will not introduce a per-plane duty at the present time, given concerns over the legality and feasibility of this approach. The Government is continuing to work with our international partners to build support for this approach. In the meantime, Budget 2012 set out air passenger duty rates for 2012-13 and 2013-14.

Child Trust Fund

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he intends to consider the future of existing Child Trust Fund accounts; and whether such accounts will be converted into Junior Individual Savings Accounts.

Mark Hoban: With reference to the answer to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Dan Rogerson) on 18 June 2012, the Government has no immediate plans to change the existing regulatory structure for tax advantaged savings accounts for children. We therefore have no plans at present to convert Child Trust Funds into Junior ISAs.
	There are currently around 5.7 million Child Trust Fund accounts, with a total value of approximately £4.4 billion. The market continues to grow steadily and, so long as CTF account holders continue to exercise their right to switch accounts where appropriate, there will continue to be an impetus for providers to compete. We do not believe that the majority of the 5.7 million children with a Child Trust Fund would benefit from a change in rules at the present time.
	As with all features of the tax system, the Government will keep under review whether or not action is necessary in the future.

European Stability Mechanism

William Cash: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what European treaty basis the European Council would be authorised to grant a banking licence to the European Stability Mechanism.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 25 June 2012
	The European Council does not grant banking licenses. This is the role of the relevant national competent authorities. In the United Kingdom, the national competent authority is the FSA.

Tax Avoidance

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what investigations have been undertaken by (a) his Department and (b) HM Revenue and Customs into the accounting activities to support tax avoidance being carried out by (i) Peak Performance Accountants and (ii) Blue Cube financial planning consultants; and what his policy is on investigating allegations of tax avoidance schemes exposed by media investigations.

David Gauke: HMRC investigates and challenges all forms of tax avoidance, irrespective of how they were notified to HMRC. Allegations of tax avoidance are taken seriously, and any information provided is considered in determining the appropriate response.

Taxation: Multinational Companies

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he (a) is taking and (b) plans to take in the next 12 months to ensure that the proposed relaxation of Controlled Foreign Companies rules does not encourage companies to increase their use of overseas tax havens; if he will assess the likely effect of these proposed changes on developing countries; if he will discuss this matter with the International Monetary Fund; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The Government is introducing a modernised Controlled Foreign Company regime that strikes the right balance between making the corporate tax system more competitive and providing adequate protection of the UK tax base. The regime will apply to companies which artificially divert UK profits to low tax jurisdictions to avoid UK tax.
	The Government is not undertaking an assessment of the effect on developing countries of the proposed changes to the CFC rules as these rules are designed to protect the UK tax base.
	Such an assessment would need to focus primarily on the nature of tax regimes in developing countries and the interactions of multinational companies with those tax systems, making it an assessment not of our tax rules, but of the tax rules of those other countries. The Government does not think that such an assessment would be feasible.
	The Government works with the International Monetary Fund and other international organisations such as the World Bank and OECD to provide technical assistance and capacity building support to developing countries across a range of issues including tax avoidance and compliance.
	The changes to the Controlled Foreign Companies (CFC) rules will be evaluated and assessed alongside other measures included in the Government's package of corporate tax reforms.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many tests were cancelled at authorised testing centres in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: For the purpose of the response we have taken “authorised testing centres” to mean authorised testing facilities (ATFs) which are privately owned testing stations.
	VOSA's test booking system records the test results at ATFs but is unable to distinguish the number of cancelled tests, as ATFs book testing slots with VOSA, which may contain multiple tests, rather than individual tests. Management of test bookings is entirely within the control of the individual ATF.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints were received about the level and quality of service at authorised testing centres in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: For the purpose of the response we have taken “authorised testing centres” to mean authorised testing facilities (ATFs) which are privately owned testing stations.
	VOSA has received one complaint about the level of service at an ATF, this was in 2012.

Railways

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information her Department holds on the implementation of National Rail's tree clearance programme in relation to (a) environmental assessments and (b) community consultations; what estimate she has made of the number of trees that have been felled in the last five years; how many such trees were felled during bird breeding seasons; on how many occasions British Transport Police have investigated complaints relating to tree felling; what estimate she has made of the total area of trees to be felled in the next five years; what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the programme; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport does not hold the information requested. Network Rail is a private sector company limited by guarantee, and tree and vegetation management on the rail network is an operational matter for the company.
	It is important for Network Rail to engage with local communities affected by the company's vegetation management policy and this is an issue I have raised with the company.
	Information in relation to tree felling complaints investigated by the BTP is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police, who can be contacted at:
	British Transport Police
	25 Camden Road
	London
	NW1 9LN
	e-mail: parliament@btp.pnn.police.uk